Home-theater Speaker Set Proves Great Things Come In Small Packages

ON TRACK

September 19, 1996|By KEVIN HUNT; Courant columnist Kevin Hunt is an editor on The Courant's features desk.

Anyone about to buy a home- theater loudspeaker system should know the one-arm rule: If the system comes in a box you can tuck under one arm, beware. Big sound doesn't come out of little packages.

The Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble IV Home Theater is a clear violation of the one-arm rule, although it fits the description. But how can five, 4-inch-cube speakers and a smaller-than-a-breadbasket bass module sound so good?

The Ensemble IV stands apart from so many piles of plastic junk in its price class. It is a contender for lightweight champion of the home- theater world and, at $399, must rate among the best values anywhere.

Maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise. The Ensemble IV was designed by Henry Kloss, co-founder of Cambridge SoundWorks and one of the great names in loudspeaker design.

Kloss was a founder of three notable modern-day loudspeaker companies, Acoustic Research and KLH (that's K as in Kloss) in the 1950s and Advent in the 1970s. He also formed Kloss Video Corp., working on the early development of the large-screen projection television. Since 1988, he has devoted his design time to Cambridge SoundWorks of Newton, Mass.

The Ensemble IV is classic Kloss: an affordable system that will appeal to both the novice and, grudgingly, the golden-eared snob. Enclosed in each speaker cube is a single 3-inch driver capable of extended high-frequency response. The bass module contains a 5 3/4- inch woofer and a round port on the back that allows the low-frequency energy to escape into the room.

Setup is simple. The center channel and surround cubes connect with speaker wire to your five-channel audio-video receiver. The two front speakers are wired to the bass module. After then wiring the bass module to your receiver, it's showtime.

Expectations were not great for the Ensemble IV, particularly after listening to a bigger, more costly ($2,000) system from MB Quart. But the Ensemble IV impressed immediately with its smooth presentation and warmth.

Heavy-duty bass was missing, and the cubes couldn't reach nearly as high in the upper levels. Yet the Ensemble IV almost sounded more appealing, its slightly scaled-down sound better suited to the room and the 25-inch television monitor. Somehow, the Ensemble IV seemed more natural.

The manual is somewhat unusual -- it actually makes sense. Aside from easy-to-follow wiring instructions, Cambridge SoundWorks guides you to proper speaker setup. Placement of the bass module is particularly critical. The most bass is created when the module is placed in a corner, with the port at least two inches from the nearest wall.

The unobtrusive cubes make the Ensemble IV ideally suited to a smaller room, dorm or office. They also should easily surpass speakers that come in any of the all-in-one home theaters in a box. (Cambridge Soundworks is selling the Ensemble IV and the Pioneer VSX305 Dolby Pro Logic receiver for $500. No home theater in a box should come close to matching this combination.)

And for those who wish to maintain separate audio and home-theater systems in the same room, the Ensemble IV provides much of the performance of a more expensive system in a fraction of the space.

Cambridge SoundWorks (800- 367-4434) began as a factory-direct, mail-order operation. It has since added more than 20 factory stores scattered throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and California, with a recent addition at Westfarms mall. Its catalog now also includes brand-name equipment for stereo and home theater. Like many mail-order companies, Cambridge SoundWorks allows what amounts to a free 30-day home trial. If you don't like what you buy, you return it for a refund.

But don't worry about that with the Ensemble IV. You won't want to let it out of your house, unless you want bigger sound from the Ensemble III ($590), the Ensemble II ($910) or the Ensemble ($1,230).

Although Henry Kloss has been designing loudspeakers for more than 40 years, he's obviously a '90s kind of guy. The Ensemble IV is a home theater for the masses. It's so simple, it's brilliant.